Saturday, May 16, 2009

I can pinpoint the exact moment that things started to turn around for piddix. I was sitting at my computer in Hawaii (long story) thinking about all of the pros and cons of running my own business. Things were looking pretty bleak. Then something happened: As I was tallying up all the positives of working from home (including being in Hawaii) I decided that this is what I want to do. I committed to piddix. Even if that meant postponing student loans and eating a lot of rice while things got off the ground.

In many ways that moment of commitment was exactly what I needed. That day I taught myself a new graphic design program and started a whole new line of more modern collage sheets. I sent out my then-quarterly newsletter and have continued sending it out every week or two. And I also started doing some advertising--something that, despite my preconceptions, has actually worked pretty well for bringing in new visitors. Oh, and I threw my to-do list out the window and have instead started listening to my gut about how to prioritize each day.

Piddix is far from safe. I feel like I'm building some massive structure out of toothpicks, ice cubes and the occasional sand bag. I keep adding different parts, shoring up others, all while the tide is rising. But for the moment the precarious structure that is piddix is holding off the floodwaters--hopefully for long enough to find a long-term solution to making piddix work.

I'll leave you with a Henry Thoreau quote that was on my office wall for many years and seems especially appropriate at the moment:

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost. There is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."